# 1970 Oakland Raiders season

The 1970 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 11th season in Oakland. It was also their first season as members of the NFL. The Raiders would ultimately win their fourth consecutive division title (as well as their first AFC West title). They advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Baltimore Colts.
The Raiders' 1970 season is best remembered for a series of clutch performances by veteran placekicker/quarterback George Blanda. Blanda, despite being cut during the 1970 preseason, eventually re-joined the Raiders' roster. His ensuing season (the twenty-first of his professional career) ranked as one of the more dramatic comebacks in sports history. Over a span of five consecutive games, Blanda came off the bench to spark a series of dramatic rallies. The Raiders went an impressive 4–0–1 over this span.
Blanda's five-game "streak" began on October 25, 1970. In a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Blanda threw for two touchdowns in relief of an injured Daryle Lamonica. One week later, his 48-yard field goal (with three seconds remaining on the clock) salvaged a 17–17 tie with the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. One week later, on November 8, Blanda came off the bench against the Cleveland Browns. His late touchdown pass (with 1:34 remaining in the game) tied the game at 20–20. He ultimately kicked a 53-yard field goal, as time expired, to give the Raiders a stunning 23–20 victory. The following week, against the Denver Broncos, Blanda again replaced Lamonica in the fourth quarter. His touchdown pass to Fred Biletnikoff, with 2:28 left in the game, gave the Raiders an unlikely 24–19 win. The incredible streak concluded one week later against the San Diego Chargers. The Raiders managed to drive deep into Chargers territory in the game's final seconds. Blanda's last-minute 16-yard field goal sealed a dramatic 20–17 triumph.
Blanda's streak played a huge role in the Raiders' 1970 division title, as the team went a mediocre 4–4–1 in "non-streak" games. Indeed, their final record of 8–4–2 (itself a four-win drop from a 12–1–1 finish in 1969) placed them only one game ahead of the Chiefs at season's end.
The Raiders ultimately advanced to the 1970 AFC Championship Game, where they met the heavily favored 11–2–1 Baltimore Colts. During this game, Blanda again came off the bench in relief of an injured Lamonica. Blanda's solid play (17 of 32 passes for 217 yards, two touchdowns, and a 48-yard field goal) kept the Raiders in the game until the final quarter, when he was intercepted twice. At age 43, Blanda became the oldest quarterback to ever play in a championship game.
Blanda's eye-opening achievements resulted in his winning the Bert Bell Award. Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt quipped that "...this George Blanda is as good as his father, who used to play for Houston." While he never again played a major role at quarterback, Blanda served as the Raiders' kicker for five more seasons.

## Offseason
### Draft

1970 Oakland Raiders draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 24 | Raymond Chester * | TE | Morgan State |
| 2 | 50 | Ted Koy | TE | Texas |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 20 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–31 | 0–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 56,616 | Recap |
| 2 | September 27 | at San Diego Chargers | T 27–27 | 0–1–1 | San Diego Stadium | 42,109 | Recap |
| 3 | October 3 | at Miami Dolphins | L 13–20 | 0–2–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 57,140 | Recap |
| 4 | October 11 | Denver Broncos | W 35–23 | 1–2–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,436 | Recap |
| 5 | October 19 | Washington Redskins | W 34–20 | 2–2–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,471 | Recap |
| 6 | October 25 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–14 | 3–2–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,423 | Recap |
| 7 | November 1 | at Kansas City Chiefs | T 17–17 | 3–2–2 | Municipal Stadium | 51,334 | Recap |
| 8 | November 8 | Cleveland Browns | W 23–20 | 4–2–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,463 | Recap |
| 9 | November 15 | at Denver Broncos | W 24–19 | 5–2–2 | Mile High Stadium | 50,959 | Recap |
| 10 | November 22 | San Diego Chargers | W 20–17 | 6–2–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,594 | Recap |
| 11 | November 26 | at Detroit Lions | L 14–28 | 6–3–2 | Tiger Stadium | 56,597 | Recap |
| 12 | December 6 | at New York Jets | W 14–13 | 7–3–2 | Shea Stadium | 62,905 | Recap |
| 13 | December 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 20–6 | 8–3–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,596 | Recap |
| 14 | December 20 | San Francisco 49ers | L 7–38 | 8–4–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,535 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1 at Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Bengals | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: September 20, 1970
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 56,616
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Sam Wyche 5-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 7–0. Drive:
OAK – Fred Biletnikoff 20-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Tie 7–7. Drive:
Second quarter
CIN – Essex Johnson 51-yard pass from Sam Wyche (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 14–7. Drive:
Third quarter
CIN – Paul Robinson 3-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 21–7. Drive:
OAK – Fred Biletnikoff 18-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Bengals 21–14. Drive:
OAK – Alvin Wyatt 63-yard punt return (George Blanda kick). Tie 21–21.
CIN – Jess Phillips 76-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 28–21. Drive:
Fourth quarter
CIN – Horst Muhlmann 38-yard field goal. Bengals 31–21. Drive:
Top passers
OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 17/36, 265 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
CIN – Sam Wyche – 8/18, 147 yards, TD
Top rushers
OAK – Charlie Smith – 8 rushes, 29 yards
CIN – Jess Phillips – 15 rushes, 130 yards, TD
Top receivers
OAK – Fred Biletnikoff – 6 receptions, 113 yards, 2 TD
CIN – Bob Trumpy – 4 receptions, 67 yards :

#### Week 4 vs Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 10 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
| Raiders | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Date: October 11
* Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C)
* Referee: John McDonough
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DEN – Bobby Howfield 23 yard field goal. Broncos 3–0. Drive:
OAK – Raymond Chester 24 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Raiders 7–3. Drive:
DEN – Floyd Little 54 yard run (Bobby Howfield kick). Broncos 10–7. Drive:
Second quarter
DEN – Mike Haffner 28 yard pass from Pete Liske (Bobby Howfield kick). Broncos 17–7. Drive:
OAK – Warren Wells 32 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Broncos 17–14. Drive:
OAK – Warren Wells 60 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Raiders 21–17. Drive:
Third quarter
DEN – Bobby Howfield 47 yard field goal. Raiders 21–20. Drive:
DEN – Bobby Howfield 34 yard field goal. Broncos 23–21. Drive:
Fourth quarter
OAK – Warren Wells 20 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Raiders 28–23. Drive:
OAK – Charlie Smith 5 yard run (George Blanda kick). Raiders 35–23. Drive:
Top passers
DEN
OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 20/37, 364 yards, 4 TD, INT
Top rushers
DEN
OAK
Top receivers
DEN
OAK – Warren Wells – 7 receptions, 198 yards, 3 TD :

#### Week 5

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| • Raiders | 14 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 34 |

#### Week 6

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| • Raiders | 7 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 31 |

#### Week 7 at Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
* Date: November 1
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 51,334
* Referee: Bob Finley
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
KC – Wendell Hayes 4-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 7–0. Drive:
OAK – Raymond Chester 3-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Tie 7–7. Drive:
Third quarter
OAK – Raymond Chester 8-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Raiders 14–7. Drive:
KC – Jan Stenerud 33-yard field goal. Raiders 14–10. Drive:
Fourth quarter
KC – Otis Taylor 13-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 17–14. Drive:
OAK – George Blanda 40-yard field goal. Tie 17–17. Drive:
Top passers
OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 13/28, 125 yards, 2 TD
KC – Len Dawson – 8/14, 174 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
OAK – Marv Hubbard – 18 rushes, 98 yards
KC – Ed Podolak – 19 rushes, 108 yards
Top receivers
OAK – Fred Biletnikoff/Warren Wells – 2 receptions, 33 yards
KC – Otis Taylor – 4 receptions, 129 yards, TD :
Ben Davidson speared Len Dawson causing a massive brawl between the two teams.

#### Week 8

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| • Raiders | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 23 |

### Standings

AFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Oakland Raiders | 8 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 4–0–2 | 7–2–2 | 300 | 293 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 5 | 2 | .583 | 2–3–1 | 7–3–1 | 272 | 244 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5 | 6 | 3 | .455 | 2–2–2 | 4–4–3 | 282 | 278 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 1–4–1 | 3–6–1 | 253 | 264 | L1 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

## Playoffs
### AFC Divisional Playoffs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Date: December 27
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 45 F, wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 52,594
* Referee: John McDonough
* TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Kyle Rote
* Box Score
Game information :
Second quarter
MIA – Paul Warfield 16-yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
OAK – Fred Biletnikoff 22-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick)
Third quarter
OAK – Willie Brown 50-yard interception return (George Blanda kick)
Fourth quarter
OAK – Rod Sherman 82-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick)
MIA – Willie Richardson 7-yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
Passing
MIA – Bob Griese 13/27, 155 yards, 2 TD, INT
OAK – Daryle Lamonica 8/16, 187 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
MIA – Jim Kiick 14 att, 64 yards
OAK – Marv Hubbard 18 att, 58 yards
Receiving
MIA – Paul Warfield 4 rec, 64 yards, TD
OAK – Rod Sherman 1 rec, 82 yards, TD :

### AFC Championship Game

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Colts | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: January 3
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 34 F, wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
* Game attendance: 54,799
* Referee: Ben Dreith
* TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Kyle Rote
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Jim O'Brien 16-yard field goal
Second quarter
BAL – Norm Bulaich 2-yard run (Jim O'Brien kick)
OAK – George Blanda 48-yard field goal
Third quarter
OAK – Fred Biletnikoff 38-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick)
BAL – Jim O'Brien 23-yard field goal
BAL – Norm Bulaich 11-yard run (Jim O'Brien kick)
Fourth quarter
OAK – Warren Wells 15-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick)
BAL – Ray Perkins 68-yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Jim O'Brien kick)
Passing
OAK – George Blanda 17/32, 271 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
BAL – Johnny Unitas 11/30, 245 yards, TD
Rushing
OAK – Hewritt Dixon 10 att, 51 yards
BAL – Norm Bulaich 22 att, 71 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
OAK – Warren Wells 5 rec, 108 yards, TD
BAL – Eddie Hinton 5 rec, 115 yards :

## Awards and honors

* George Blanda, Associated Press Athlete of the Year
* George Blanda, Bert Bell Award